Conception Care: IUI and ICI
We are excited to offer Conception Care by Intrauterine (IUI) and Intracervical (ICI) Insemination for those seeking support getting pregnant. Whether you’re new to this process or a seasoned recipient, we can meet your needs. We offer care in both your home or our home office.
We serve people who were assigned female at birth, regardless of their gender pronoun. We serve those planning this process with or without partner(s). We serve people who may have had difficulty getting pregnant with the conventional medical approach. We serve people who simply want to get pregnant in their home or outside of a conventional medical room.
We offer both IUI and ICI services.
DNA/Sperm to Womb/IntraUterine Insemination (IUI) is a process where (isolated) sperm is placed directly into one’s womb (uterus). One must acquire sperm from a sperm bank or have a known donor to provide the semen (often referred to as “sample”). If you have a known donor, we can “wash” the semen to isolate the sperm. We then place the sperm directly into the womb/uterus.
DNA/Sperm to Cervix/IntraCervical Insemination/Cervical Application is a process where unwashed semen (sperm and seminal fluid) is placed directly on the cervix, but not inside womb.
What IUI or ICI Care Includes
What Care Includes
- An intake appointment
- On-call availability for your ovulation window
- Phone and email communications until you are pregnant and no longer need our services
- IUI/ICI appointment(s) at peak ovulation
- All the supplies needed to complete the process (except the donor or sperm)
What care does NOT include:
- Sperm or a donor. You can provide prepared/frozen sperm or we can wash the sperm from a known donor
- Health and Healing Sessions
- Birth Services
The Process
If you’re seeking IUI or ICI services from Awakenings, we start with a phone call or email to answer any preliminary questions.
Just send us an inquiry letting us know you are interested.
Please be specific with what you’re hoping with regards to care and include any pertinent information to your health and history.
We ask that you fill out and send in the Conception Care IUI/ICI Interview Pack, and this will be provided to you with the initial inquiry.
The remaining steps in the process are to complete the Intake Appointment, after which we will be on-call for your ovulation window(s).
Getting Started with IUI/ICI – the Intake Process!
Once you’re ready to move forward with us, the next step is to set up a time to meet in person for a 1-3 hour Intake Appointment. Here we complete a health history assessment, discuss the logistics regarding the process and expectations around care. We discuss many preconception matters including your ovulation cycles at length, as well as ideas to help prepare you for pregnancy, including basic herbal support.
For this appointment we will send you an IUI/ICI Welcome Pack over email.
Scheduling
Location:
Appointment location takes place at your home or our (home) office, depending on your preferences.
When:
Intake Appointments are scheduled Monday-Friday 9a-5p.
IUI/ICI Appointments are not scheduled in advance as these are completely dependent on your cycle. We will discuss how this works at the Intake Appointment. For IUI/ICI we are available Monday-Sunday 6a-11p.
Length of Appointments:
Intake appointments are scheduled for 1-3 hours.
IUI/ICI sessions are scheduled for 1 hour, but often shorten in time with future sessions. Anticipate up to an additional hour should you require sperm washing from a known donor.
Fees for Services
Please request the financial agreement to see the current fees for services. We feel our fees are very generous and hope you do too. Sessions can be in our office or your home.
If you consider your family to have “financial hardship,” please see the sliding scale section.
Bonus!
$50 from each IUI/ICI session up to $500 will be applied to the birth services fee should you decide to plan a homebirth with us.
Additional Expenses: Refundable Deposit
The standard fee does not include any lab work such as paps, blood draws, or STI testing. It does not include herbal and homeopathic remedies.
These may incur an additional expense.
Because of this, should you require any labs, etc., you are required to pay separate from the IUI/ICI fee, a “Petty Cash Refundable Deposit.”
The “Petty Cash Refundable Deposit” amount varies and depends on what testing/screening you plan to receive. We will estimate the cost of these labs for you. We consider it a deposit because lab fees are always changing and we will not know the true cost until the bill is received. Any expenses exceeding the refundable deposit will be billed accordingly and you are responsible to pay. Any unused funds will be returned.
Sliding Scale
Access to midwifery care is EXTREMELY important to Awakenings. We hope to provide care to all people regardless of income.
As holistic care has grown, it has moved further and further from low-income communities and people of color. In staying true to the values of midwifery, we offer sliding scale and flexible payment plans to those willing to discuss their financial status with us.
We trust you will value and prioritize this quality care over accessories. But even still, it can be challenging to know whether one qualifies for sliding scale. A general guideline is whether or not it creates “Financial Hardship.” Generally, if you have to wonder whether it does or doesn’t, you probably don’t fit that category. If you’re struggling to pay rent each month or can’t purchase the nourishing foods you want, you do qualify.
If you decide a sliding scale applies to you, please consider bartering for a portion of the fee. We are open to your ideas!
Insurance Coverage
Upon request we will provide you with a bill with codes that you can submit to your insurer to attempt to obtain reimbursements in accordance with your plan.